Japanese Verb Auxiliaries

All sorts of things that can come after verb stems and -te forms to create more complicated phrases. Other than being grouped by whether they follow the verb stem or the -te form, the entries on this page are in no particular order.

Verb Stem Compounds

Compounds:

A second verb may attach to a verb stem to form a compound verb. There are a huge number of these that are common, many of which are listed in most dictionaries. On top of this, people, especially writers, make up their own fairly often.

Some common auxiliary verbs follow.

Begin to do (-dasu, -hajimeru):

Add 出す (dasu) or 始める (hajimeru) when an action is just beginning. 出す has a connotation of a more sudden or rapid start.

The more literal meaning of moving something to a more open or public place may apply instead when using 出す, though.

Redo (-naosu, -kaeru):

Add 直す (naosu) or 替える (kaeru or gaeru) for redoing an action. Typically, 直す is used with a sense of correcting or improving something that was done imperfectly or incompletely, or was disrupted after having already been done, while 替える is used with a sense of discarding the previous result and starting over.

Do deeply (-komu):

Add 込む (komu) for a sense of moving inside or doing something deeply, intensely, or thoroughly.

Do fully (-kiru):

Add 切る (kiru or giru) when something is done completely, utterly, or resolutely.

The more literal meaning of cutting may apply instead, though, and in some cases it could be interpreted either way without really affecting the meaning.

Purpose of movement (...ni iku, ...ni kuru, etc.):

Appending に (ni) to a verb stem and following with a movement verb means to travel somewhere for the purpose of doing whatever verb the stem is. Common movement verbs include 行く (iku = go), 来る (kuru = come), and 帰る (kaeru = return, usually to home).

Archaic commands (o + [verb stem]):

This is rare in modern language, but prepending お(o) to a verb stem is one way of suggesting or ordering that an action be taken, and is occasionally used at least in fiction. It also shows up semi-idiomatically in some common phrases, like 「お帰り」 (okaeri = used as "welcome home") and 「お休み」 (oyasumi = used as "good night"), and is additionally used as follows, as Inuyasha fans may recognize:

Polite requests (o + [verb stem] + kudasai):

Sandwiching a verb stem between お (o) and 下さい (kudasai) is a highly polite way to request that an action be taken. Don't be fooled by the word "request", though, as this form is often used in the service industry when telling customers what to do, and should be taken as instruction rather than suggestion.

Want to... (-tai):

To talk about something that you want (or don't want) to do, just add ～たい (-tai) to the verb stem, and conjugate the result as an -i adjective.

This form is normally used only when referring to your own desires. It is not considered proper in Japanese to speak of the thoughts, feelings, or desires of others as though you understand them. After all, who really knows what goes on in the mind of another? Instead, you can say that they said they want to, perhaps using ～と言った (-to itta), that you think they want to, perhaps using ～と思う (-to omou), or that their behavior suggests that they want to, using the ～がる (-garu) adjective ending.

Note that there is no ～たい version of the copula. To say "want to be," use なりたい (naritai = want to become) for something that you aren't already, or でいたい (de itai) for an existing state.

For what you someone else to do, refer to ～てほしい (-te hoshii).

Overdoing it, too much... (-sugiru):

Add the auxiliary verb すぎる (sugiru) to the stem of another verb to express the idea of doing too much of something. すぎる is a -ru verb and conjugates as such. This has some negative connotation to it, so it can't normally be used in any complimentary way.

Imminent events (-sou):

This is for when something seems like it's getting ready to happen any moment now. Attach そう (sou) to the verb stem. To form the negative, add そうもない (sou mo nai) instead. The verb stem + そう combination acts as a -na adjective, so you can also use it to modify nouns by adding な (na) after そう.

The particle ばかり (bakari) can be used to similar effect, but seems to be far less common.

Concurrent events (-nagara):

When someone is doing two things at the same time, add ～ながら (-nagara) to the verb stem of one action, and follow it with the second one as a normal sentence. ～ながら can only be used when the same actor performs both actions. The more important or more central action goes second, while the less important or more incidental action comes first, assuming it makes any sense to rank them.

～ながら can also be used to indicate a contrast, especially when followed with も (mo). This is roughly equivalent to "even as."

Though the copula has no verb stem (except in literary form), ながら can be used directly after nouns and adjectives to give the meaning of "while being." Refer to the ながら (nagara) particle entry.

Easy or hard to do (-yasui, -nikui, and -gatai):

If an action is easy to do, express this by adding ～やすい (-yasui) to the verb stem.

Conversely, if an action is hard to do, express this by adding ～にくい (-nikui) or ～がたい (-gatai) to the verb stem.

These tend to refer to ease or difficulty based on how the person involved handles it, and not on purely external factors, such as something being difficult to buy because of scarcity. For that, you can use ～のが難しい (-no ga muzukashii), for instance.

How to... (-kata):

Attach ～方 (-kata) to a verb stem to form a noun for how to do the action, or the way in which it is done.

Do this (-tamae):

Attach ～たまえ (-tamae), the command for of the verb たまう (to give or bestow) to a verb stem to form a request that this action be done. This can be anything from a prayerful plea to an order that is expected to be followed, and is also fairly archaic. Using たまえ commands with subordinates apparently conveys an affectionate tone.

たまえ may also be written in kanji as 賜え or 給え.

-te Form Compounds

Even if (-te mo):

Ａ～てもＢ (A -te mo B), using a -te form verb, means B even if, even though, or even when A. When A is a question phrase, it becomes a no matter who/what/where/etc. meaning. The ～なくて (-nakute) form is used for negatives rather than the ～ないで (-naide) form.

The equivalent forms of the copula are でも (de mo) and じゃなくても (ja nakute mo). それでも (sore de mo = even though that) and just でも often appear at the beginning of a sentence to mean "even though [what was previously mentioned]," usually equating to "but."

Be careful; this でも looks just like the particle でも, but the usage and meaning are different.

 

Especially in casual speech past tense + って (tte) may be used to mean basically the same thing as -te form + も, though it may be more emphatic. This seems to be used more frequently with affirmative verbs than negative ones, but both do occur. The equivalent copula form is だって (datte), and -i adjectives replace the ～い (-i) with ～くたって (-kutatte). Negative verbs similarly replace the final ～ない (-nai) with ～なくたって (-nakutatte).

May do... can do... (-te mo ii):

To say that something is allowed, add もいい (mo ii) to the positive -te form of a verb. This can also be used in past tense to say that something was allowed, and can be used in questions to ask for permission.

The literal meaning is basically, "it's okay even if..." It's also possible to drop the も (mo), which eliminates the "even" sense. This is generally avoided, particularly in requests, perhaps because it seems rather presumptuous.

In casual speech, past tense + って (tte) may be used instead of -te form + も, as explained under ～ても.

May refrain from... don't have to do... (-nakute mo ii):

To say that something does not have to be done or that not doing it is allowed, add もいい (-mo ii) to the ～なくて (-nakute) negative -te form of a verb (do not use the ～ないで (-naide) negative). This can also be used in past tense to say that not doing something was okay, or in questions to ask whether it's okay to not do something.

The literal meaning is basically "It's okay even if you don't..." It's possible to drop the も (mo), which eliminates the "even" sense. This is generally avoided, perhaps because it comes across as rather presumptuous.

In casual speech, the short nonpast negative with the ～ない (-nai) replaced with ～なくたって (-nakutatte) may be used instead of -te form + も, as explained under ～ても.

Must do... have to do... (-nakucha ikenai, etc.):

To say that something has to be or must be done, add は (wa) and いけない (ikenai), which literally means "can't go", to the ～なくて (-nakute) negative -te form of a verb (never the ～ないで (-naide) negative). Use いけません (ikemasen) instead of いけない for long form.

In this form, ては is often contracted to ちゃ (cha) even in formal speech, but generally not in writing. In casual speech, ～なくては (nakute wa) may be shortened all the way to ～なきゃ (nakya). Also, だめ (dame), which roughly means "no good" and is often written in katakana as ダメ, especially in exclamations, can be used instead of いけない, and is even less formal.

ならない (naranai) and なりません (narimasen), which are literally "won't become" (or possibly "won't bear fruit" or "won't be of use"; it's hard to tell since they're all the same kana), can be used in place of いけない (ikenai) and the others. Actually, I think just about anything that gives a vague negative sense works, but the ones listed here are by far the most common.

Furthermore, the negative of the provisional (-ba) form (or its variants) may be used in place of the -te form. My observation is that the negative -te and だめ tend to go together, the negative provisional form and ならない tend to go together, and both forms go with いけない roughly equally. A negative verb plus the と (to) particle in its conditional function also works.

Every one of these variants can also be used in past tense to say that something had to be done in the past. Additionally, all are actually double negatives, basically saying that not doing whatever is not okay (therefore it must be done).

Especially in casual speech, the first half of the phrase will sometimes appear at the end of a sentence, without being followed by the second half, as a shortening of this usage.

Must not do... May not do... (-cha ikenai and -te wa ikemasen):

To say that something is not allowed, add は (wa) and いけない (ikenai), which literally means "can't go", to the positive -te form of a verb. Use いけません (ikemasen) instead of いけない for long form.

ならない (naranai) and なりません (narimasen), which are literally "won't become" (or possibly "won't bear fruit" or "won't be of use"; it's hard to tell since they're all the same kana), can be used in place of いけない (ikenai) and the others. Actually, I think just about anything that gives a vague negative sense works, but the ones listed here are by far the most common.

In casual speech, ては may be shortened to ちゃ (cha), and では may be shortened to じゃ (ja). Also, だめ (dame), which roughly means "no good" and is often written ダメ especially in exclamations, can be used instead of いけない, and is even more informal. All variants can be used in the past tense to say that something was not allowed.

Unlike the "must do" equivalent, the provisional (-ba) form and negative verb plus と (to) are not used for "must not do" sentences.

Requests (-te kudasai and -nai de kudasai):

～て下さい (-te kudasai), using a positive -te form verb, equates to "please do..." and the negative form ～ないで下さい (-nai de kudasai) equates to "please don't..." The ～なくて negative is not used for this purpose. ください is often written in kana rather than kanji, but neither way is uncommon.

Casual requests may drop ください entirely or use less polite attachments.

These are only the basics. For a little more detail, see the section on requests.

Apologies (-te sumimasen and -nakute sumimasen):

～てすみません (-te sumimasen), using a positive -te form verb, is an apology for having done something, and ～なくてすみません (-nakute sumimasen) is an apology for having not done something. The ～ないで negative is not used for this purpose.

As with requests, these are only the basics. For a little more detail, see the section on apologies.

Actions and effects in progress (-te iru):

A -te form verb + いる (iru) refers to an action with an associated duration that includes the present. What, exactly, this means depends on whether the verb is in the transitive action-focused category or the intransitive change-focused category. This gets a little complicated, so hang on....

For the transitive type, the duration is simply the duration of the action itself. 食べている (tabete iru) means "is eating." This is easy enough to understand; it's the same as the present progressive ('-ing' form) in English.

For the intransitive type, however, it's a state caused by the action. 起きている (okite iru) doesn't mean "is currently waking up;" it's more like "is in the state resulting from waking up," or "is awake." Most of these verbs don't have a significant duration of their own (including stand up, sit down, board, put on, die, take up residence, achieve understanding, lift, and many others). However, 行く (iku), 来る (kuru), and 帰る (kaeru)—go, come, and return home—and some others with a significant duration fall into this group anyway. Therefore, 行っている (itte iru) means "is in the state resulting from going" or "went and is still there," not the more obvious (to English speakers, anyway) "is going." Similarly, 友達は来ている (tomodachi wa kite iru) means "a friend is in the state resulting from coming" or "a friend has come and is still here," rather than "a friend is coming."

Incidentally, this concept used to exist in English. Ever wonder why Joy to the World says "the Lord is come?" That's why. Using "is come" captures the concepts of "has come" and "is here" in a single succinct phrase. Or at least used to. Anyway, moving on....

To describe an intransitive verb action that is currently in the middle of occurring, you can use the short nonpast affirmative form followed by 途中 (tochuu = in progress, in the middle of, partway). For example, if your friend is on the way over, you could say 「友達は来る途中」 (tomodachi wa kuru tochuu).

As another example, ドアが開いている (DOA ga aite iru), with the intransitive verb 開く (aku) means "the door is open," while ドアを開けている (DOA wo akete iru), with the transitive verb 開ける (akeru) means "I am opening the door." Transitive verbs are still transitive even when the object isn't stated; 食べている (tabete iru), with the transitive verb 食べる (taberu), is still "I'm eating" even though the object (what I'm eating) isn't mentioned.

Various other conjugations of いる are also legitimate, such as the past and negative forms.

In speech, especially when casual, ～ている and ～でいる are often shortened to ～てる (-te ru) and ～でる (-de ru).

Actions done in preparation (-te oku):

A -te form verb + おく (oku) refers to an action that is done in preparation for something or otherwise done in advance.

In casual speech, ～ておく (-te oku) may be shortened to ～とく (-toku). Simlarly, ～でおく (-de oku) may become ～どく (-doku).

Caused actions still in effect (-te aru):

A -te form verb + ある (aru) describes actions with lasting effects, and is similar to ～ている (-te iru). The largest difference is that ～てある specifically indicates that the effect is the result of what someone has done. It's related to ～ておく (-te oku) in that ～ておく actions generally have ～てある effects, and ～てある effects generally have ～ておく causes. As a grammatical point, ～てある uses が instead of を to mark the thing affected (unlike ～ておく), and transitive verbs rather than intransitive ones (unlike ～ている). The next examples compare ～てある, ～ている, ～ておく, and simple sentences.

Trying something out (-te miru):

～てみる (-te miru), using a verb in -te form, indicates attempting something and seeing what happens. みる (miru) here is the same verb, and conjugates the same way, as 見る (miru = see), but the kanji doesn't normally appear in this usage.

Another common comparable phrase is "see what it's like to do."

This is not the same as trying in the sense of making an ongoing effort to do something, but not being confident that it will keep up. So you wouldn't, for example, use ～てみる to say that you try to get up at dawn every day, unless you don't normally do that and want to see what it's like. For making an effort, use ようにする (you ni suru) or a construct involving the volitional form.

～てみせる (-te miseru):

Two meanings of -te form verb plus みせる (miseru) are possible. One is basically the same as the literal meaning of 見せる (miseru = to show), and refers to performing in action in such a way as to be seen or to put the action on display, sometimes purely for appearances.

The other meaning is perhaps a looser usage of "show" and indicates a determination to carry out an action. It has something of a sense of "I'll show you!" This meaning is less likely to use the kanji.

Since, ever since (-te kara):

Ａ～てからＢ, with a verb in -te form and the particle から (kara), can mean either "A and then B" or "B ever since A."

～てしまう and ～ちゃう (-te shimau and -chau):

A -te form verb plus しまう (shimau) has two distinct possible meanings. One indicates that the action is carried out with determination, usually meaning that the action is completely finished.

The other meaning is that the outcome was not intended, and usually that it is unfortunate. This is often a good thing to use when apologizing, since that indicates you didn't mean for it to happen that way.

Either way, in more casual usage, ～てしまう may be shortened to ～ちゃう (-chau), and ～でしまう to ～じゃう (-jau). I've also seen ～ちまう (-chimau) several times. Kansai dialects often use ～てまう (-te mau) instead. These variants all conjugate as usual.

There may be cases where it is unclear which meaning is intended, but context is usually enough to tell.

(Not) giving in without a fight (-te tamaru):

Add たまる (rarely written in kanji as 堪る) to a -te form verb to give the sense of doing something, or allowing it to happen, without putting up any opposition. This is typically phrased as a question, giving the indication that it most certainly will NOT happen without a fight.

The verb たまる rarely appears outside of this usage except in the negative form たまらない (tamaranai) and the past negative たまらなかった (tamaranakatta), with たまらない roughly translating to "unbearable" or "irresistable" depending on context

Also refer to the sentence ending もんか (mon ka), which expresses a similar concept and may be paired with ～てたまる.

I'm glad that ... happened (-te yokatta):

If you like the way things turned out and want to say so, use the -te form and follow with よかった (yokatta = was good). This works with the negative form too, and also when talking about other people and unrelated events.

Note the difference between this and the similar phrase provisional + yokatta to express regret about an unfavorable outcome:

Want someone else to... (-te hoshii):

For things that you want someone else to do, add ～ほしい (-hoshii) to the -te form of the verb. The person you want to do it is marked with the particle に (ni).

To negate it, either negate ほしい, which is an -i adjective, or use the negative -te form ～ないで (-naide). Do not use the ～なくて (-nakute) negative -te form.

ほしい may also be written with kanji as 欲しい.

For what you want to do yourself, refer to the ～たい (-tai) verb ending.

～て行く (-te iku):

One of many combinations with more than one possible meaning, a -te form verb plus 行く (iku) may combine the more literal meaning of 行く (to go) with the -te form's standard connective function to result in the meaning "go after doing" or "do before (or when) going."

It may also have a looser meaning of a situation or gradual change that is or will be ongoing.

～て来る (-te kuru):

One of many combinations with more than one possible meaning, a -te form verb plus 来る (kuru) may combine the more literal meaning of 来る (to come) with the -te form's standard connective function to result in the meaning "come after doing" or "do before (or when) coming." This is often equivalent to English "go do" (since you can't come until you've first gone). The verbs 帰る (kaeru = return home) and 戻る (modoru = come back) may also be used like this.

It may also have a looser meaning of a situation or gradual change that was or has been ongoing.